|
|
Post by wstalcup on Sept 5, 2021 17:20:23 GMT
Hi all! I picked up this sword from the Kult and really happy with it!  Specs Overall Length 30 1/4'' Blade Length 24 1/4'' Weight 2 lb 7.6 oz so its really a short sword.. here you can see a comparison of it vs other swords starting from the left (polearm, Viking sword (this sword), hand and half sword, 12" dagger, Albion knight sword)  Sword comes about as sharp as a butter knife, but can be easily sharpened! It has a "Damascus steel" look to it, but I've heard its just "etched" that way..(not really folded steel) I've read that the highly decorative scabbard is not true historically (but i dont care.. it looks really great!) Sword is all 1 piece of steel, no tang, but rather hilt, pommel, blade all 1 solid piece. I've heard this is not historically accurate either, but once again.. i don't mind! 1 downer is the weight of the sword.. its just as heavy as the Albion Knight sword, shown in the picture above. even though the Albion Knight is longer and wider...doh! At least the weight is not too bad, im still able to swing and cut very well with it! |
|
|
|
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Sept 5, 2021 17:29:02 GMT
Nice!
Shorter viking swords existed, but the one piece construction is indeed unhistorical afaik.
It is pattern welded with two different steels and etched to enhance the different colors.
This is one of three or four possible methods to create "damascus" steel.
|
|
Greg E
Member
little bit of this... and a whole lot of that
Posts: 1,091 
|
Post by Greg E on Sept 5, 2021 18:12:37 GMT
Yeah it is probably too heavy for it's size. And that is most likely because of the 1 piece unhistorical construction and probably solid pommel.
BTW most Vking posts are usually in the Medieval section, not ancient.
|
|
|
|
Post by wstalcup on Sept 7, 2021 14:49:26 GMT
ahh good info! thanks guys!
|
|
|
|
Post by durinnmcfurren on Oct 4, 2021 20:39:22 GMT
I've read that the highly decorative scabbard is not true historically (but i dont care.. it looks really great!) Sword is all 1 piece of steel, no tang, but rather hilt, pommel, blade all 1 solid piece. I've heard this is not historically accurate either, but once again.. i don't mind! I'm not sure about that particular scabbard, but highly decorated scabbards are DEFINITELY historical! The people of the viking period really liked their fancy stuff. They liked to show off with stuff we would nowadays probably consider overly ostentatious. If we look at illustrations from that time period, they show people dressed in all kinds of crazy colorful stuff, with fancy scabbards. And I seem to remember seeing a scabbard for a viking era sword, one of the few that survived at all, which was basically just covered with extremely fine decorations/carving. So, you know, this scabbard is probably a little bit of a conjectural scabbard, but if anything, the real ones were probably far more 'zany.'
The one piece construction is an odd choice, but probably makes very little difference to the feel of the sword.
|
|
|
|
Post by wstalcup on Oct 5, 2021 18:27:12 GMT
I've read that the highly decorative scabbard is not true historically (but i dont care.. it looks really great!) Sword is all 1 piece of steel, no tang, but rather hilt, pommel, blade all 1 solid piece. I've heard this is not historically accurate either, but once again.. i don't mind! I'm not sure about that particular scabbard, but highly decorated scabbards are DEFINITELY historical! The people of the viking period really liked their fancy stuff. They liked to show off with stuff we would nowadays probably consider overly ostentatious. If we look at illustrations from that time period, they show people dressed in all kinds of crazy colorful stuff, with fancy scabbards. And I seem to remember seeing a scabbard for a viking era sword, one of the few that survived at all, which was basically just covered with extremely fine decorations/carving. So, you know, this scabbard is probably a little bit of a conjectural scabbard, but if anything, the real ones were probably far more 'zany.'
The one piece construction is an odd choice, but probably makes very little difference to the feel of the sword.
Thanks.. i do really like the scabbard.. the one piece sword is "different" but seems to be would be a more sturdy way to make swords |
|
|
|
Post by wstalcup on Oct 11, 2021 15:41:52 GMT
bah! I'm liking this sword less now.. the grip is too small  i unable to hold it tight enough where it doesn't "shift" in my hand. Also the pommel keeps hitting my hand when swinging.. probably would have been a good sword when closely surrounded with friends and foes, where you couldn't do long swings with larger swords and could only just thrust  |
|
|
|
Post by durinnmcfurren on Oct 11, 2021 16:28:32 GMT
Viking combat relied a lot on swinging, not thrusting... and their sword grips were usually between 9 cm and 10 cm long (under 4 inches).
There are two ways of dealing with this that I can think of. First, you can grip it and use it like a tulwar or other sword with a small grip, and put the side of your hand on the top of the pommel so that it will press along it more equally instead of jabbing into it.
Second, you could grip it with the edge of the palm slightly over the side of the pommel.
There are other proposed ideas out there for how to deal with the viking sword grip length, but those are the two I personally favor at the moment!
|
|
|
|
Post by randomnobody on Oct 11, 2021 18:48:06 GMT
Yeah, lots of debate on how to hold and maneuver one of these.
I think the prevailing theory, of course, comes down to "it depends" / "it varies" but a general consensus points to a more "slipped" or "handshake" fashion of gripping where the pommel rests on the fat of the thumb and thus is kept away from the wrist.
A "hammer" grip with a locked wrist, as per a tulwar, would likely work as well.
My only personal experience with "Viking" swords was years ago, with a dearly-missed Hanwei Godfred. That one had a longer handle than many have come to bear of late, so it was easier to handle.
I've since come to prefer tight grips with minimal guard and pommel, but will still, eventually, add another "Viking" to my stunted collection.
|
|
|
|
Post by paulmuaddib on Oct 11, 2021 18:49:44 GMT
bah! I'm liking this sword less now.. the grip is too small i unable to hold it tight enough where it doesn't "shift" in my hand. Also the pommel keeps hitting my hand when swinging.. probably would have been a good sword when closely surrounded with friends and foes, where you couldn't do long swings with larger swords and could only just thrust No experience with them (have held a Viking style sword at MRL but not swung it) but find it humorous that your complaint about being too small is the opposite of practically every Viking sword fan, at least on this forum. |
|
|
|
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Oct 11, 2021 19:07:51 GMT
Try a wrap with tennis grip band, cheap, no glue, easily removable if you decide to make a thicker grip more historical correct. And you can vary the thickness, I like a bit more thickness in the middle. The thicker grip helps also a bit with a hurting pommel, or some smoothing with a file or sanding paper.   |
|
|
|
Post by wstalcup on Oct 12, 2021 19:01:08 GMT
bah! I'm liking this sword less now.. the grip is too small i unable to hold it tight enough where it doesn't "shift" in my hand. Also the pommel keeps hitting my hand when swinging.. probably would have been a good sword when closely surrounded with friends and foes, where you couldn't do long swings with larger swords and could only just thrust No experience with them (have held a Viking style sword at MRL but not swung it) but find it humorous that your complaint about being too small is the opposite of practically every Viking sword fan, at least on this forum. I even have relatively small hands! |
|
|
|
Post by wstalcup on Oct 12, 2021 19:01:31 GMT
Try a wrap with tennis grip band, cheap, no glue, easily removable if you decide to make a thicker grip more historical correct. And you can vary the thickness, I like a bit more thickness in the middle. The thicker grip helps also a bit with a hurting pommel, or some smoothing with a file or sanding paper. great idea! (as always) Thanks! |
|
i unable to hold it tight enough where it doesn't "shift" in my hand. Also the pommel keeps hitting my hand when swinging.. probably would have been a good sword when closely surrounded with friends and foes, where you couldn't do long swings with larger swords and could only just thrust
Things have changed!